Professional provocateur and relentless troll Katie Hopkins has taken issue with the comedian and activist’s decision to tweet the contact details of a Daily Mail journalist’s phone number to his 8.7million viewers.

Brand, who has been embroiled in a media storm over tax affairs, had received the business card of Neil Sears through the letterbox of a family member, along with a note to “please call”.

Katie Hopkins has described Russell Brand (below) as a bully for publishing the mobile telephone number of a journalist attempting to contact him on Twitter

Hopkins, who last week took aim at a teenage X Factor boy band, branding them “shit”, “ugly” and “losers”, took umbrage with Brand’s actions and tweeted: “Brand post journalists tel numbers, address and email on Twitter. Now that – that is just a whole new level of wrong. Russell Bully Brand.”

Brand post journalists tel numbers, address and email,on Twitter. Now that - that is just a whole new level of wrong. Russell Bully Brand